The present invention generally relates to hinge systems. More particularly, the present invention resides in a magnetic hinge system for detachably coupling safety eyewear to a primary eyewear, visor or the like.
People often wear eyeglasses to correct their vision, be it near-sighted or far-sighted. The eyeglasses have a main frame with lenses fitted thereto. Protective-lens eyeglasses are also available of generally the same construction.
There are instances, such as when in the sun, when an auxiliary eyewear, such as sunglasses, is desirable. There exist clip-on sun shades which are clipped to the rim or frame of the primary eyeglasses. However, most such sun shades are typically not able to be pivoted upwardly and out of view, such as when entering a building or the like from outdoors. Instead, the sun shades must be completely removed and stored in a pocket or the like of the eyeglass wearer.
Advancements in the field have led to the use of magnetic members which are used to removably attach the sun shade or auxiliary lenses to the eyeglasses. However, the magnetic connections are typically not pivotally arranged so as to enable the user to “flip-up” the sun shades away from the eyeglass lenses.
Yet other prior art auxiliary eyewear require specially manufactured eyeglasses for a stable connection. Alternatively, the auxiliary eye shades must be semi-permanently attached to the eyeglasses, such as using screws or the like. Of course, this does not enable the eyeglass wearer to conveniently remove the sun shades or auxiliary lenses.
In addition to the shortcomings described above, prior art auxiliary eyewear in general has the shortcoming that they are not adapted to be connected to any piece of eyewear. That is, the prior art auxiliary eyewear does not have universal connection means. Instead, they rely upon clips or attachments to the eyeglass to the primary eyeglasses which are usually very specific in nature. If not completely specific, the auxiliary eyewear still suffers a drawback of connecting to the primary eyewear in such a manner so as to limit it to only several styles of eyewear. This is due to the differences between the “nose bridge” portion of the frames and the size of the frames of the primary eyewear which varies dramatically between different styles.
There are many instances when safety eyewear is necessary. For example, in certain industries such as machining, tooling, woodworking, etc. safety eyewear is necessary to prevent the occasional projectile from entering into the worker's eyes.
In these instances, safety eyeglasses, goggles, or face masks are often used. Face masks are often used when foreign material is kept away from the entire face of the user or operator, such as a surgeon or the like, as well as the eyes. Oftentimes, however, these safety eyewear or masks are not comfortable to the user or are limited in their adjustability. This is particularly the case when the operator of the machine, surgeon, etc. wears prescription eyewear or must wear of utilize magnifying lenses to perform their duties. In this case, safety eyeglasses are typically not equipped to be placed over the prescription eyeglasses. Although goggles can be placed over the prescription eyewear, this is often uncomfortable.
There is a desire to have the safety shield or glasses selectively pivotally moved in front of the face, when protection if necessary, and away from the face or eyes for better vision when the danger of body fluids, projectiles, etc. is must present. Of course, the safety eyewear should be connected to the primary eyewear wearer, or otherwise positioned in front of the eyes and face of the user, so as not to become dislodged when hit by a projectile or the like.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a system for detachably connecting a safety shield or eyewear over a user's face, particularly over a primary eyewear, such as prescription eyeglasses. Such safety eyewear should preferably be able to be pivoted out of the field of view of the user when desired. However, the attachment system should also be capable of withstanding a sufficient force by flying projectiles without becoming dislodged from the primary eyewear, cap, or head of the operator. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.